Video/Stereo.

The Ultimate Stockings Don't Hold Frankincense

December 02, 1994|By Rich Warren.

Whether you enjoy listening to choirs of angels or seeing visions of sugar plums, audio/video gifts will brighten the holidays. From the humblest stereo headphones to the grandest wide-screen TV, gift choices abound. Had the three wise men journeyed today, they would have brought music and light, rather than incense and embalming fluid. Gold remains constant, especially when plated on audio/video cables and wires to resist corrosion and improve conductivity.

Sony stuffs the ultimate stocking this year with the WM-EX1 "15th Anniversary" Walkman. Yes, 15 Christmases have come and gone since Sony first filled the world's pockets with cassette players. The new WM-EX1 weighs a mere five and three-fifths ounces and truly fits in a shirt pocket. Most amazingly, it plays for 36 hours when you combine the internal rechargeable nickel-metal hydride battery and the clip-on compartment with its single alkaline AA cell. This elegant $249 player includes a headphone cord remote control.

A portable CD player also easily fits mantel-hung legware, and the Panasonic SL-S180 offers a lot of performance for a little price. It operates 10 hours on a pair of AA alkaline batteries, and also comes with rechargeable batteries. You can read the backlit liquid crystal display even in the dark. Neither your Christmas stocking nor your shoulder will sag from the 9 ounces (without battery) of this $150 CD player.

For those who already own a personal stereo, give the headphones that benefit the recipient and the giver. The Sony Fontopia MDR-E515S' "silent cap" reduces outside sound leakage while improving bass. These $10 earbud-style phones fit in the ear without a headband. At that price you can put a pair in every stocking.

The Bose Wave Radio returns for an encore. This $350 wonder, one of the most superbly styled, super sounding, compact AM/FM stereo receiving systems ever designed, also serves as a clock radio. Bose sells the Wave Radio directly; to order call 1-800-358-BOSE. I bet they'll even throw in a gift card at no extra charge.

The compact rectangular boxes of cassette decks wrap easily. Technics makes the best box to wrap, the RS-TR575 dual transport cassette deck. At $250, this is the best value in double recording decks, where both transports record as well as play. TDK MA-110 metal tape cassettes enable two hours and 40 minutes of uninterrupted record or play. Better still, the Automatic Tape Calibration circuit custom matches the deck to each tape on which you record for maximum fidelity.

The JVC UX-T1 micro-component system fits easily under a tree, as well as on a desk, bed headboard or kitchen counter. The $450 UX-T1 combines a cassette deck, CD player and AM/FM stereo radio in a toaster-size package, with a pair of similarly sized speakers. The built-in clock/timer not only allows the unit to double as a clock radio, but also trigger cassette recordings from the radio when you're away.

Marantz makes a conversation piece for the whole year long. The Arch, a dramatically styled mini-system that looks like its name, integrates a six-CD changer and AM/FM stereo radio into a beautiful package. It emits a soft glow that gently lights a room. Hang ornaments from the $1,600 Marantz Arch for a particularly festive presentation.

Most manufacturers figured out a way to make good small speakers. Optimus, Radio Shack's house brand, further improves the sound of music from speakers about the size of a gallon milk container. The $260 per pair Optimus PRO LX5s use a high-tech tweeter invented by Linaeum, an American company. This tweeter makes the PRO LX5 sound good just about anywhere you sit, and you can fit this speaker just about anywhere.

Camcorders preserve holiday memories long after eager fingers remove ribbons from gifts. The most innovative camcorder of the year is the $1,100 Sony CCD-FX730 8 mm camcorder that combines the best of both worlds. If you want a big 3-inch color LCD viewfinder, it hinges open from the side of the camcorder.

If you prefer compact VHS (VHS-C) and ease of use, save your memories with the Panasonic PV-IQ204, one of the best camcorder values on the market. This $800 model delivers a great picture while being a breeze to use. The "IQ" in the name stands for intelligent, since the camcorder does everything for you. If you give a camcorder for Christmas, remember the three essentials: charge the battery the night before, load a tape and label the package "open first."

Sharp designed the dream gift for all grandparents. The Viewcamteleport sends and receives camcorder videos over ordinary telephone lines. Simply plug the $900 Viewcamteleport into a standard telephone jack at each end and prepare to share videos. Although designed for optimal use with a Sharp Viewcam 8 mm camcorder, the Viewcamteleport works with many video sources.

I asked Santa for the Toshiba TW56D90 TheaterWide 56-inch (measured diagonally) wide-screen, rear-projection TV. This $5,000, 400-pound wonder turns a room into a theater. I received a fax from Santa, however, saying he could not fit it down the basement steps, let alone the chimney.

Once upon a time wise men followed the star. Today they'd follow the DSS satellite. The gift for the whole family beams down from 23,000 miles above the equator in the form of the Digital Satellite System. Admission to this greatest show above earth is $700 for the basic RCA 18-inch satellite dish and receiver ($900 for deluxe). DSS offers 150 channels of dazzling video and audio at a monthly cost lower than cable. Rumor has it that Santa stays entertained at the North Pole with DSS.